Parking Argentine Pass trailhead

[courtneywilson08]

Hi everyone,
My husband and I are coming out to Colorado for vacation next week. The 14er we are planning on doing this time around is Gray and Torrey's peak. We are wanting to drive to the Argentine Pass trailhead the night before. We read that on Montezuma Road there is a large parking area, do any of you know if it is okay to park in that area the night before? We are planning on sleeping in our vehicle that night and then starting the hike the next morning at 5:00 a.m. Thanks for any info in advance, didn't really know where to look for this information.

Courtney W.

[awake]

I doubt anyone would care or notice. There are some campsites along the road as well, which might be a little more pleasant than sleeping in your car.

[pak]

Montezuma Road is closed to camping - see this page:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiterive ... EPRD507497" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You might be OK camping higher up the road. Call the local FS office in Dillon to verify.

[AyeYo]

You're in for a LONG hike if you're parking on Montezuma. You need to take the Peru Creek road (easily doable in a car with decent clearance) up to the parking lot at the trail head. IIRC, the trail head is at least five miles up that road. There are plenty of camp sites up that road and according to the last camping closure map I saw, that road is not included in the closure once you get a few hundred yards off of Montezuma.

[awake]

My mistake. I was getting Montezuma Road mixed up with Peru Creek. Both pak and AyeYo are right.

[pak]

You will be able to park just below the mine where the road is gated. See photo #1 here:
http://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=gr ... rreys+Peak" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think that there should be no problem camping in your vehicle. It has been a couple of years since I've been to that trailhead so I don't recall how rough the road is currently, but I do recall seeing a couple of passenger cars parked there.

You can always call the ranger district office to inquire about any camping restrictions.

[courtneywilson08]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the info. We will call the ranger the day before to see what we can do. We were just hoping to be able to park there and sleep in the vehicle the night before vs. getting up a lot earlier the same day and driving 2+ hrs to get there.

[AyeYo]

Should be easily doable. Keep in mind that Peru Creek is contaminated and should NOT be used as a water source, so bring plenty of water with you.

[richwill]

Hiked Mt. Edwards from this trailhead a couple weeks ago. Montezuma Rd was closed to camping for a 6 mile stretch. Plenty of camping on the way to trailhead away from "Bear Area". If you're not planning a Fri or Sat, most spots would be available.

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